1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to canisters for the storage and dispensing of liquids and particulate solids, and more particularly concerns canisters of the type that are capable of dispensing a stored liquid or particulate solid in a measured amount that may be selected by the user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are presently available a number of canisters that may be used to store liquids or particulate solids and, in addition, are capable of dispensing a portion of the liquid or particulate solid. Such devices include canisters where the user may select a volume, up to a specified maximum volume, of a particulate solid or liquid to be dispensed through a closure flap disposed approximate to the bottom of the canister, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,000. Also, there are presently available canisters where a single, predetermined volume of a particulate solid may be dispensed, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,529, and, in addition, canisters where the user may select one of a number of predetermined volumes of a particulate solid to be dispensed, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,984. Further, current canisters include those having a flap that is movable in hinged rotation to open and close a dispensing orifice and simultaneously close and open a passage between a storage compartment and a measuring dispensing compartment, such as the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,152.
Despite the availability of such canisters, there exists a need in the art for an improved measuring canister that is capable of conveniently storing any of a wide variety of liquids or particulate solids, yet is capable of dispensing a measured portion of the liquid or particulate solid in a controlled manner, with the volume of material to be dispensed selected by the user to be any volume up to a maximum volume, and simultaneously preventing the remaining stored material from being dispensed or spilled during the dispensing operation.